Crews battle ‘substantial’ fire in downtown London, Ont. home, damage pegged at $400K

London, Ont., fire crews were battling a “substantial” blaze in the attic of a home near the city’s downtown Thursday morning.

Emergency crews were called to 496 Waterloo St. around 9:08 a.m. for a structure fire.

Jamie Britton, district chief for the London Fire Department, told Global News that crews arrived to see “heavy fire and smoke on the third-floor balcony of the home and a possible extension into the attic.”

He said that no injuries were reported in the blaze.

“We located a resident who was unharmed, and we led them out of the building,” he said. “All other occupants have been out, primary search has been all cleared (and) no injuries to report at this time.”

While the fire has since been contained, Britton said that due to the home’s historic design, fire crews faced some challenges when trying to knock down the blaze.

“It’s a very old house with a bunch of voids and, in between the lath and plaster in the ceiling, it’s a little tough for the crews to get out to right now, but they’re currently pulling down the ceiling and accessing the attic area,” he said.

The “Queen Anne-style” home at 496 Waterloo St. was first constructed in 1893 and the property was declared a historic site by the City of London in 2006.

While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, Britton said that investigators will be on scene for most of Thursday.

“It’s too early to tell but right now it does not look suspicious,” he said.

Britton said that the home has large amount of water damage due to water travelling down from the attic through the walls as fire crews battled the blaze. Additionally, he said that the house appeared to be under renovations.

Damage has been pegged at $400,000.

Residents are still asked to avoid the area of Waterloo Street and Dufferin Avenue as crews investigate the blaze.